Airport Stories

She's back. Kidlet got in late last night from her Costa Rica adventure and hubby and I went to meet her at the airport. The moment I set foot in an airport - arriving or departing - that familiar tingling feeling in my tummy signals excitement. I have always found airports to be exciting places.

As I stand waiting for my loved one to appear from behind the baggage claim area, I try to be covert as I witness the seemingly endless stories unfolding in my midst. New chapters are being written as new Canadians arrive, wide eyed, luggage cart stacked high with huge suitcases and bulging boxes held securely with duct tape. Stories find their endings here as well ... families clutching one another in desperate embraces, tear flowing until that very last moment when they must finally disappear into the departure gate, turning for the final goodbye.

Greetings. Reunions. Farewells. Tears of joy, cries of anguish, looks of longing. So many stories unfolding in my midst. And the best one of all emerged with Kidlet -- who cried all the way home, and into the wee hours of the morning as she recounted the details of her journey. People she met and doesn't want to forget. The faces, smells, tastes and colours of Costa Rica. In her own words, she came home "full" (to overflowing). All that already at seventeen. And her story has just begun ...

Now -- to work on the mountain of soggy, smelly laundry that awaits. What a souvenir!